The present invention relates generally to displays.
One technique to present an image that has a three dimensional appearance is to use a three dimensional display. One type of three dimensional display uses a liquid crystal display shutter glass worn by the viewer. The shutter glass may be controlled by an emitter and alternatively darken over one eye then the other in synchronization with the refresh rate of the screen. Unfortunately, many viewers do not prefer to wear glasses while viewing a display.
Another technique to display a three dimensional image to the viewer is using an autostereoscopic display. In general, an autostereoscopic display includes view dependent pixels, each of which may include different intensities and colors, based upon the viewing angle of the viewer. This viewing angle dependency may be achieved through a variety of different techniques, such as including a parallax barrier within the display. The result, without the use of special headgear or glasses being worn by the viewer, is that the viewer will perceive a different image with each eye. If the image data is controlled for each eye's viewing angle, the viewer will sense a three dimensional image. Unfortunately, incorporating a parallax barrier reduces the spatial resolution of the display and reduces brightness while adding additional manufacturing complexity to the display together with an increase in expense. Also, the cross talk between multiple overlapped views deteriorates the three dimensional viewing experience.
Another limitation for both types of stereoscopic displays is that in the home there can be an accommodation and vergence mis-match. This occurs because the eyes can be focused on the distance of the screen, yet can be converged to the apparent depth within the image. These differences can lead to eyestrain, headache, or nausea.
What is desired is a three dimensional type display that has no spatial resolution loss, no brightness reduction, without requiring the viewer to wear glasses, and does not cause accommodation and vergence mismatches.
The foregoing and other objectives, features, and advantages of the invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.